


Fear

by Hellokaelyn



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21855928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn
Summary: Years passed and things changed but the team is still family. And when family is in trouble, they band together once more.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Idea came to me and kind of blew up.. I really hope you guys enjoy it!

In a small neighborhood in New York, there wasn't much movement outside that early in the morning on Saturdays. Inside the houses were a different story, including the light painted blue house at the end of a dead end street right next to a large brick wall that seemed to block out the rest of the world from the other side.

Inside the house, Juliet Romero stood in the kitchen pouring two cups of coffee. With a gentle smile she carried them over, placing one of the mugs down in front of the man sitting at the table before taking a sip of her own. 

"Thanks babe." Diego Romero mumbled to his wife, leaning over to kiss her when she sat down beside him.

Juliet rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the light dusting of pink across her cheeks that he caused even years later. "Should one of us go get Mateo? He usually never sleeps in even on the weekends, his breakfast is gonna get cold."

"Want me to check on him?" Diego asked, setting down the local newspaper that he read out of amusement for the wacky stories they always came up with to fill space.

"No I got it." Juliet stood after taking one more sip from her mug. "I need to grab his laundry from the week anyway."

She ran a hand across his shoulders as she passed, that was another thing, they had been together long enough but still made contact even with the smallest of touches whenever they could.

Juliet climbed the stairs, walking down the upstairs hall until she reached one of the only two closed doors. "Mateo? You awake?" She called as she knocked on the door. She frowned when there was no response. "Honey are you okay?" She called again while opening the door.

She froze when she saw the empty bed and also empty room.

Her heart stopped.

"Mateo!" Juliet shouted, running to his closet and frantically throwing it open even though she knew it'd be empty.

Her shout caught Diego's attention downstairs, his thundering footsteps following seconds after her shout. He came storming into the room, panic on his own face. "Juliet what-"

"Mateo's gone! He's not here!" Juliet let out a cry, her hands started to shake as she panicked and her heart raced. 

Diego's own heart stopped at her words, he ran out of the room with Juliet right behind him. He tossed open the other closed door in the hall, running to the computer in the back corner. Juliet cried, covering her mouth with her hands as Diego typed in the passwords needed before the screen filled with images of the house, he clicked on the one of Mateo's room and pressed rewind on the feed.

Juliet sobbed as they saw a familiar man come in through the window, placing a cloth over Mateo's mouth in his sleep, carrying his smaller body right back out effortlessly. 

"Oh my god this is all our fault!" She cried, fighting against Diego's hold before sinking into it. "We got too settled and comfortable here!"

"If anything it's my fault." He told her, voice cracking as his own tears came. "I know how this works better than anyone- I should have been more vigilant and careful-" Diego stopped, taking a sharp intake of breath as his own sob escaped him, the image of his son getting chloroformed and taken repeating behind his eyes. 

Their hold on each other tightened.

"He took our baby." Juliet whimpered. 

Diego pulled away, grabbing for the phone beside the computer keeping one arm around his wife. 

"I need to speak with Director Vance..tell him it's Diego."

In seconds he was transferred and the Director's worried voice reached his ears. 

* * *

Vance leaned against the front of his desk, a sigh escaping as he ran a hand down his face. He felt as if he had aged years since he received that phone call. Maybe he really was getting too old for this.

He tried not to look so worn out as the door opened and they all came walking in with worried and confused looks. Gibbs, McGee, Jack, Kasie, Jimmy, Ziva, and Tony.

"What's going on Leon?" Gibbs asked, standing almost in the front, his team leader energy still radiating off him despite not being one any longer. "You know, you're the one who pushed me to retire and yet here you are three months later calling me back for something." Gibbs crossed his arms, a searching look in his eyes.

Vance sighed. "I know, this is very last minute."

"And why are we here, Director?" Asked Tony, who stood just slightly off to the side with Ziva beside him. "We haven't been agents in years, and we still have to get Tali settled before she starts her new school-"

"I'm sorry DiNozzo, David-" Vance grabbed the remote for the TV off his desk. "But something came up and all of your help is needed, except we need to be careful with this which means-" He turned to McGee. "I know your team can be trusted McGee, but for the time being they are on the big case Travers' team is working on so they'll be a floor down."

McGee frowned in confusion but nodded.

Jack took a step forward, concern on her face. "Leon..what's going on?"

"I take it you all remember the events of five years ago." He began. All of their faces fell at his words and their bodies tensed at the sudden reminder. "Five years ago as Luis and Charlie, Torres and Bishop took down the Carver cartel along with their leader Xavier Carver only for him to escape a month later wanting revenge."

"We know what happened Leon." Gibbs said, frustration and annoyance at this being brought up again evident. "We were all there for this."

"I know." He pursed his lips for a moment before sighing once more, a regular occurrence it seemed that day. "They were then in a matter of days placed into Witness Protection..but I lied to you all."

"Director?" McGee said slowly and carefully, as if afraid of what was going to come out of his mouth next. 

"I led all of you to believe it was on orders completely out of my hands but the truth is, it was Torres and Bishop who asked to be placed."

He knew it was coming, the second his sentence finished, the room exploded into shouts of 'what?!' and demands to know what he meant. Luckily, they all went quiet when he raised his hand, even Gibbs. 

"They did it to protect themselves the best they could, knowing how difficult it would be to get Carver again and how long it could take, time which they didn't have." Vance brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples as his head started to pound before looking back at them. "Not only did they need to protect themselves but..Bishop was pregnant."

"W-What?" Jack said in a low voice, hand over her mouth. Kasie crossed her arms over her stomach as Jimmy placed a hand on her shoulder, McGee's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly, Gibbs grit his teeth, and Tony gripped Ziva's hand as her face paled. 

"They asked to be placed in Witness Protection because they feared for their baby, and I set it up. I could tell they both, especially Torres, wanted to stay and take care of Carver before he could come after them and the baby, but I guess-" He looked at Ziva and Tony. "seeing all the recent events that had just unfolded changed their minds."

"Eleanor was too afraid of history repeating itself." Ziva whispered, more to herself but they all heard. "And Nicholas would have done anything as long as they were safe and he would not be separated from them." Tony took a sharp intake of breath and squeezed her hand harder that she did right back.

"Did- did anyone even know they were.." Kasie said quietly. "Together?"

No one spoke. They hadn't told anyone.

Vance took that silence to continue. He finally pointed the remote at the screen, an image of one of the conference rooms appeared. Two people sat at the table wrapped around each other in obvious comfort. 

Gasps filled the room.

"Nick and Ellie." Jimmy whispered in shock from the back of the group, his whisper carrying through the otherwise quiet room.

"I got a call early yesterday morning from Torres and Bishop..also known as Diego and Juliet Romero."

Jack spun first to look at him. "What? Married?!"

"It was the best way to sell their identities..but yes, Torres and Bishop actually did get married for real."

"Back to this phone call?" Gibbs quickly butt in. "They in danger?"

"Yes..but more so someone else." Vance breathed out, and clicked on the remote again bringing up a picture of a little boy who looked like the spitting image of Nick. "The reason they went into Witness Protection, their son Mateo, was kidnapped which led to Torres calling me."

"Carver?" Ziva spoke, a hand placed over her chest. 

Vance nodded, and deep worry was now on all of their faces. "I don't have to remind you all of Carver's side business of selling children to the highest bidder." 

"No." Gibbs muttered. "No you don't."

"Time is something we don't have much of, we need to find Mateo soon..or we might not find him at all." Vance said gravely.

"Let's go." Gibbs grunted out, racing towards the door with everyone right on his heels.

Quietly they had all been working the Carver case even years later, but now it was all hands on deck.

* * *

"Do you regret it?" Ellie whispered, wrapped up in his arms.

"Regret what?" Nick pulled away with a frown. "Coming here?"

"No..do you regret doing this?" She sniffled, rubbing at her nose with a tissue. "Going into Witness Protection instead of staying and fighting..that's always been more your style."

Nick sighed, gently tucking a piece of hair behind her ear then caressing her cheek. "I don't. It gave me not only five years with you, but so many good memories with Mateo even when we were afraid, because I had you two and that's all I cared about."

She couldn't help but chuckle wetly even if her heart still hurt and that terrifying feeling still swirled inside her. "If only the team could hear you, Nick Torres the man who's always willing to jump into a fight and take down the bad guys along with a door or two, being such a softy." 

Nick rolled his eyes. "I think we both know that's not me, or even us anymore."

She nodded with a sigh, leaning back against him. 

They both would jump back into their roles as agents to find and protect Mateo, but that had stopped being them not too long after he was born. Getting a taste of a normal family life seemed to change things. Even for Nick, as he realized being an agent had killed a part of himself along the way, the events of his years as an agent had left him cold and like a piece of him had shattered, until he held his son and then all he wanted was a family, his family. Sure they had both gone crazy sitting around doing nothing when they were so used to the cases and action, but becoming parents changed everything they didn't think it could. 

It helped that they had a clear reminder of how wrong things could go.

"Do you think he's okay?"

"You know I can't answer that question babe." He whispered, arms tightening around her.

"We'll get him back..right?"

"Whatever it takes." Nick said firmly, jaw clenched.

Ellie nodded against his chest.

It was an unspoken agreement. They would do whatever it took to get Mateo back even if they got their hands a little dirty in the process, support from the team or not.

* * *

In a cold empty room, Mateo sat on a dirty mattress chained to a rod sticking out of the floor beside it. He had tried yanking on it but it didn't budge. 

He knew his mommy and daddy would find him, he knew it. He just had to hold on until they found him. 

A sudden loud bang followed by a shout made Mateo jump. With a whimper he moved back into the corner of the wall, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. 

Fear filled him but he tried to remember what his daddy told him.

_"I'm not afraid!" Mateo pouted, crossing his arms. "I'm strong and strong people don't feel fear!"_

_His daddy smiled, crouching down to Mateo's height. "Everyone feels fear Mateo."_

_"Even you?" He whispered._

_"Even me." His daddy got a sad smile on his face that quickly disappeared, but Mateo saw it, he wasn't dumb like the other kids. "Fear isn't something to be ashamed about. It's actually a good thing to feel fear sometimes, fear can sometimes give us strength and give us something that motivates us to push forward."_

_"Really?"_

_"Think of fear as...your magic weapon. When you feel fear, let that be your strength."_

Mateo closed his eyes, feeling the fear in his stomach.

His mommy and daddy would find him. But until then he had his magic weapon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some parallels in this..can you spot them? 🙈

From the second they all gathered in the squad room after a tense reunion considering the circumstances, the tense air only intensified. 

There was no small talk about the last five years though as they got right down to work, there'd be time to ask questions and reconnect after they got Mateo back. In true fashion, Gibbs barked out orders to each of them, stepping perfectly back into his role as team leader even though that job was McGee's now. McGee though didn't mind one bit as his fingers right away raced across his keyboard and his eyes focused on the screen. 

For the first few hours Ellie and Nick stayed focused, going through the list of Carver's associates to try and narrow down who was still around and who was in prison. 

Eventually though, Ellie felt her chest tighten in anxiousness and a sick feeling rising within her. Luckily when it hit her full force the others were scattered either checking leads, down in Kasie's lab where her internet speed was much quicker, or talking with Vance.

Though she didn't see Ziva walking into the squad room right as she shot up from her chair and ran to the bathroom, hand over her mouth. 

Ellie made it just in time, sobs wracked her body either from being sick or everything going on..she didn't know. With a groan she pulled herself away from the toilet and off the floor, feeling weak as she leaned her hands on the sides of the sink. Taking a breath she turned the water on and splashed her face. She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small pack of mints, she had taken to carrying them around recently as they helped with the nauseous feeling that had been lingering the last week. Ellie popped one in her mouth, her thoughts began to wander a bit as her lack of sleep started hitting her.

It was crazy how things change overtime. 

These orange walls surrounding her, even in the bathroom, had once felt like home. Now though as she leaned over the sink trying to take deep breaths, there was no feeling of home. They were just bright ugly walls that held old memories. 

Her home was with Nick and Mateo. Her home was sitting on the couch wrapped up in her husband's arms with their son camping out on the floor, covered with pillows and blankets as he leaned forward watching the TV displaying some movie. 

But half her home was missing, and the other half was damaged just like her because his home was the same.

Ellie didn't even bother turning around when the bathroom door opened and Ziva slid inside, leaning against the wall. She glanced at Ziva in the large mirror but still didn't face her.

"I just needed a minute." Ellie mumbled. A minute to get away from Carver's face on the screen, the thoughts being thrown back and forth as they made phone calls and typed away. Her head wasn't on straight, and she knew it.

"We will find him, you know." Ziva said softly. "This team has achieved and accomplished so much-"

"I know." Ellie interrupted with a slight sniffle. She lifted her sleeve and hastily wiped at her face even though no tears had fallen in that moment. "But this isn't some normal case- this is my _son_."

"Look Eleanor, I understand-"

"No!" Ellie said loudly as she finally spun around to face the other woman. "No offense Ziva but you _don't_ understand! Tali was in danger but there wasn't one second she was all alone facing the danger! My son, my _baby,_ is being subjected to god knows what right now and there's no one there to help him, to comfort him, to protect him!"

Tears fell halfway during her speech as her voice rose in volume and cracked with emotion.

Ziva looked a little stunned at her outburst, but at the same time like she expected it. "I know it is not exactly the same Eleanor, but I like to believe I can relate if you ever need someone to talk to-"

"I appreciate that." She interrupted once more. "But again no offense, the only person I even remotely want to talk to about this is Nick."

With a nod Ziva stepped away from the wall, moving back towards the door. She could feel it was a lost cause at that moment to try and get her to open up. 

Just as she went to reach for the handle, the door opened again and Nick took a step to the side letting Ziva through, his eyes right away landing on Ellie standing there with tears still sliding down her cheeks. Ziva stopped for a second and watched Nick right away wrap Ellie in his arms as they once again clung to each other, a moment to remind the other that they weren't alone in this, that they had each other to lean on.

Ziva let out a small sigh and let the door shut behind her. She hoped that didn't change, she didn't have Tony back then like they had each other, and maybe that was what would save Mateo in the end. 

When the bathroom door closed, Nick pulled back a little to look at her. "Ellie?"

"I'm fine..or as much as I can be." She sniffled. "I just got sick that's all, it just became too much-"

"Hey.." Nick said the word softly, cupping her face in his hands. "It's okay to need a minute, we don't have to be strong the whole time okay?"

"Yeah? What about you?" Ellie curled her fingers around his wrists, holding his hands in place and a way to just touch him. "You don't have to keep being strong either."

Nick sighed, resting his forehead against hers. "Why do you think I disappeared for a minute just now?"

Ellie frowned, about to ask him when she saw it, the red around his eyes hinting that he had been crying. Her heart squeezed in her chest painfully. "I'm sorry.." She whispered, her voice cracking.

"Me too." He whispered back, swallowing the lump rising in his throat. 

They stood like that for a few minutes, their foreheads pressed together and Nick's hands still holding her face gently. Their hearts were heavy as they were sick with worry for Mateo, but being together eased it all for just a few seconds, letting their minds clear to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

  
Fear was his magic weapon.

Mateo curled up on the mattress, repeating his daddy's words in his head. He had to remember, he had to. 

_"I wanna learn to fight daddy!"_

_His daddy looked at him in surprise. "What?! You're a little too young for that Mateo-"_

_"But David's daddy let's him do karate!" Mateo whined, stomping his foot._

_"Yeah well..David's dad is a bit too much of a hardass-"_

_"Daddy! Swear jar!" Sighing, his daddy handed him a dollar. Mateo grinned, shoving it in his pocket to put in the jar later then frowned again. "David says it will protect him from bullies..how will I protect myself daddy?"_

_"There are a lot of ways to fight Mateo, it doesn't always have to be actual fighting. One of those ways is tricking the bullies. If you make them think you're weak, they'll let their guard down not expecting much from you, it gives you an upper hand if played right."_

_Mateo hummed thinking and processing, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Like when mommy faked that sad story about forgetting her great grandma's cookie recipe to get Mrs. Garcia's secret recipe?"_

_His dad stared at him open mouthed before letting out a snort followed by a laugh. "Something like that kiddo, something like that." With another laugh, he ruffled Mateo's hair as they started walking to the car._

So Mateo did. He pretended to be weak. When the bad man came with his friends and hurt Mateo while saying mean things about his mommy and daddy, he cried and begged. Mateo's tears were real because it really did hurt at first, but he always had plenty of cuts and bruises from playing.

If he followed what his daddy said, he just had to wait for the right moment. They thought he was a dumb kid, but Mateo knew he was smart. Mommy and daddy said so, his preschool teacher said so, his daddy told him he was smart just like mommy.

And he could read. Mateo wasn't so sure these idiots could read like he could! 

Mateo lifted himself up to lean against the wall to try and ease his hurting stomach, letting out a small whimper when his open cut rubbed against the mattress. He forgot how much cuts could sting. Mommy wasn't there to put a bandaid on it.

He tensed up when the door to the room opened and bad man number one stepped inside.

Mateo braced himself for another incoming smack. 

_Magic weapon..magic weapon.._

* * *

They were now at one of the worst moments during a case, waiting for results. 

Nick anxiously paced the length of Kasie's lab while Ellie sat on the metal table, twisting the sleeve of her sweater between her fingers stretching the material. Jack, Kasie, and Jimmy watched them with either a worried or wary look but they all kept glancing back at Kasie's computer as if the results that would give them a lead on the location to find one of Carver's men would have magically appeared. 

"So uh- why didn't you two go with Gibbs and the others to canvas possible locations?" Jack asked carefully. Gibbs and McGee had gone one direction while Tony and Ziva went the other. "Both Leon and Gibbs are okay with you two being in the field as long as you keep your heads on straight-"

"That's part of it Jack." Ellie muttered. "We both know we wouldn't be able to go out there clear minded, how could we?"

"We also made a promise that we were done with all of this." Nick said in a low tone, staring blankly at one of Kasie's machines. "We promised to do all we could to make sure we're around for the long haul for Mateo."

"And when we find him?" Jimmy asked. 

"We trust them to bring him back to us." Ellie said, the words slipping out as if perfectly practiced. All three of them turned to look at each other in surprise right as Nick looked at Ellie. 

They both knew it was a lie. While they did trust their friends, once they knew where Mateo was they were gone.

"Wow okay." Jack shook off her shock. It seemed they had gotten very good at lying while in witness protection if they so easily fooled her. They _had_ been lying for the last five years after all.

"Okay so I've been wondering-" Kasie cut in suddenly, Jimmy's head snapped to her and his eyes widened slightly. Kasie gave him a 'what?' look before continuing. "Since we have time..what about when you found out you were pregnant? When you had to decide what to do?"

Jimmy raised his hand in the air a little with a sheepish look. "And uh..I've been wondering how it was like in witness protection, it had to be stressful right?"

* * *

  
_Ellie anxiously paced in her apartment waiting for him to come back, going back and forth between twisting her fingers or tapping them against her legs._

_She jumped as the door slammed open, Nick breathing heavily as he rushed in and hastily shut it behind him. A full plastic bag swinging from his wrist. Still breathing heavily as if he ran the longest marathon of his life, he thrust the bag at her._

_"Nick what the-" Ellie looked inside to see one of those mega sized water bottles and what he originally went to the store for..just way more than she thought. "I didn't need this many!"_

_With a raised eyebrow, she turned the bag upside down on the counter after taking the water out. In seconds the counter was covered in pregnancy tests._

_Nick rubbed the back of his neck giving her a sheepish look. "I didn't know which one to buy and I didn't want to buy a defective one-"_

_"...You practically bought at least one of probably every test there."_

_"I got nervous and started grabbing, okay?!" Nick groaned, going to the fridge to chug down water. Ellie would have laughed if this situation wasn't making her stomach twist in anxious nerves. His face was a little flushed with a slight sheen of sweat. "These women kept staring at me and one of them looked like she was about to try and help but that would have been awkward-"_

_A snort left her, making him huff. Though her heart warmed hearing his story. Ellie loved when he dropped the tough cool guy exterior and was just Nick. "Well there's no way I can pee on over ten tests." She said in a teasing tone. "I'll do three right now."_

_"Should I uh-" Nick gestured towards the bathroom door, an uncomfortable look on his face._

_She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Just wait outside the door, there's no need for you to stand there while I..pee."_

_"Just..making sure." He mumbled, shuffling behind her and leaning on the wall outside the bathroom. "I've never been in this situation before." Nick said with a sigh._

_"I know." Ellie smiled softly and kissed him, immediately seeing his tense body relax just slightly. She on the other hand only had to do this once. Years ago when she was married to Jake, she had thought once only to get a negative and her period the following day._

_After she had placed the tests on the bathroom counter, Nick came in and they sat on the edge of the tub to wait. When the timer on his phone went off, their hearts were practically in their throats._

_"Shit." Nick mumbled, echoing Ellie's own thoughts._

_"..I guess the team will be finding out sooner about us then we planned huh?" She said with a sigh. They had a plan and all (a detailed, highlighted, sectioned plan courtesy of her) but that was out the window now._

_Nick wrapped her in his arms, hands rubbing along her back. "We can still throw that party you planned for telling them babe, it'll just have an added factor to it..a baby factor."_

_She looked up at him and smiled brightly. "That's true!" Her eyes then softened as the words hit her. "A baby..we're having a baby."_

_"Yeah.." Nick grinned, giving her a quick but hard kiss that made her crave more. "A baby.."_

_With a happy laugh, Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more._

_Though soon their happy bubble burst, shattered into bits and pieces. Their plan completely forgotten._

_Carver was coming for them, and in extension their unborn child. Nothing else mattered but protecting their baby and they didn't have time for a long discussion, they needed to act quick as Carver was already a step ahead._

_Somehow not too long after they learned of Carver, they convinced both Gibbs and Vance that they'd be okay for the night keeping an eye on each other at Ellie's. What they hadn't expected was the emotion that hit them when their eyes caught the pregnancy tests still scattered along the counter._

_Nick found himself having to lead Ellie to the couch as it all hit her, and the tears started to flow. "Our baby." She kept mumbling between sobs._

_There was no need for her to say anything more. Their lives were in jeopardy and while nothing new for them, it was new when another life, one that couldn't defend themselves was added to it._

_"Nick.." Ellie whispered, voice rough from crying. "Is it weird I just..keep picturing Ziva's situation?"_

_His hold on her tightened. "No..I'm thinking about it too. Is this- does that mean you're thinking of taking a page out of her book?"_

_Ellie noticeably flinched before shaking her head. "No, god no. A lot of that could have been avoided if she had just asked for the teams help, told Gibbs-"_

_"So we're telling the team? I mean what else can we do?"_

_"No..no we aren't."_

_Nick stared at her confused as she sat up, wiping at her eyes. "What?"_

_"We can't just wait and hope we get some lead, we'd have protection of some kind but for how long? We both know that no matter what we'd still be sitting ducks waiting for Carver to strike." She reached for his hands, taking them in hers._

_"What're you trying to say Ellie?"_

_"Witness protection." Ellie said letting out a sigh. "We go to Vance and tell him but only him. We know the team won't stop trying to find Carver, but this way we won't be sitting ducks waiting for him to strike."_

_Nick squeezed her hands before letting go, instead he gently cupped her face, making sure he could look directly in her eyes. "Ellie..are you sure about this? We don't know how long this could be..and your family-"_

_"I know." She smiled weakly. "But this baby is our family Nick. I'd love to stay and hunt him down, to stay and fight just like I know you want to...but a mother puts her children first right? I'm not asking you to do this, I know how hands on you are and hate not being in on the action-"_

_"I'm coming with you." He interrupted, voice firm. "You're right, this baby is our family. I'm not good at family stuff and sitting on the sidelines but I'm not letting you go into witness protection alone, especially when wherever you go our baby goes."_

_Ellie let out a shaky breath. "So I guess we're really doing this?"_

_Nick nodded, and Ellie took out her phone with shaking hands to call Vance asking if they could meet with him._

* * *

  
_She had been fine in the hours before giving birth being too focused on the pain and the fact she would be pushing a human being out, she had been fine in the minutes following being too focused on the high and joy of seeing her son for the first time, she had been fine when they finally settled on a name that even Mateo had seemed to love..but it was as she was watching their son sleep peacefully beside her hospital bed that it hit her._

_It started with a tear or two, but developed quickly into sobs._

_"Hey hey." Nick said softly, standing up from his chair to rub a hand along her back. "What's going on babe?"_

_"I-...the times I imagined a moment like this..I always pictured my mom being here to help me, my dad and brothers-" She broke off with another sob, covering her mouth to quiet them._

_Nick closed his eyes briefly before squeezing himself on the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry, I know that's the hardest part for you." He whispered, kissing her forehead softly._

_With a sniffle she turned and buried her face in his chest no doubt staining his shirt with her tears._

_"What if they never meet him?"_

_His hold on her tightened. "They will." He said confidently. "Everyone will meet him."_

_A knock on the door ended the conversion, and they plastered on their perfect fake smiles as the nurse greeted Mr and Mrs Alvez.  
_

* * *

  
_It was a chilly day outside when Ellie saw them. Two of Carver's men coming in her direction, glancing around subtly enough that no one else would notice._

_Her heart raced in her chest._

_She thankfully had dyed her hair brown so it would be a little harder to spot her, but Mateo- her son was peacefully sleeping in her arms, his head resting against her shoulder- would also be noticeable. If you knew what Nick looked like, it was obvious who Mateo's father was and Ellie had no doubt they were looking at their pictures every time they glanced at their phones._

_Her stomach churned at the thought of them even glancing in her direction. Ellie made sure not to look directly at them, and casually lifted the blanket wrapped around Mateo higher until it covered him from view. It was a little chilly out (Mateo always fell asleep better when it was slightly colder) so she looked like any normal mother protecting their child from the chill if you looked close enough, but to anyone else, you couldn't see a child. She picked up her pace just slightly as they walked away, using the windows of the stores she passed to keep an eye on them._

_Ellie knew exactly how it would go. She would get back to their place, she'd tell Nick, and then they'd contact the Agent who had been assigned to their case so they could be moved to another location. She really hoped it would be either the last time or the last for a while, it was getting harder and harder the older Mateo got to move locations._

_Only she wouldn't be able to head there right away. Ellie's heart stopped when she saw them in one of the store windows looking right at her. Their faces hardened, and their pace picked up as they tried to shove past the people shopping._

_Walking quicker than before, Ellie took chances to glance over her shoulder to track their distance from her. She made sure to walk on the part of the walkway most crowded with people, to make it harder on them and if she was lucky, they'd lose sight of her. One thing she was thankful for was Mateo not taking after Nick in being a light sleeper, her son could sleep through a hurricane much like her when she was younger. Mateo waking up now would be one of the last things she needed._

_Ellie was especially thankful for him being a deep sleeper when they started running, not caring about the people they knocked into. With her once again racing heart as panic set in, she ducked into one of the shops connected to outside and as she ran past a stand full of beads and marbles for making jewelry, Ellie knocked it over once they got close enough. Shouts filled the store as it scattered everywhere, and if she listened close enough she could hear two men yelling the loudest. Ellie looked over her shoulder before turning the corner walking out, she smirked seeing them on the ground picking themselves back up. She felt bad for the other people she saw that had fallen victim to her plan, but no way were they getting their hands on her son. It was a simple plan, but effective._

_Taking her chance, Ellie ran._

_She didn't have to say a word when she ran into the house, Nick's pained face when he saw her expression was enough. This was the third time since they went into witness protection two years ago. Though it certainly was a first for her being recognized. Her appearance was easy enough to change, but Nick's wasn't._

_A week later they were walking into their new home in a small New York neighborhood that was much smaller than their other locations as Diego and Juliet Romero, where they would stay until that dreadful day._

* * *

  
Jack's face had softened and so had her voice, she walked to Ellie and grabbed her hands gently. "I'm so sorry you didn't have anyone with you."

Ellie's eyes watered as she smiled. "It's okay..I had Nick with me the whole time and..Mateo was worth every second of it."

"Can we see pictures while we wait?!" Kasie asked with a grin and bounce in her step. "We only seen one picture of him and he looks like a cutie!" Jimmy scrambled towards them eager to see as Ellie laughed wetly and pulled out her phone. 

* * *

  
They had no idea of their plan. 

Gibbs and Ziva were obviously suspicious if their studying or narrowed glances were any clue, but they didn't really know. 

And so when they had someone with information sitting in interrogation and were just gathering the info to use on him in case Gibbs needed leverage, Ellie jumped in using her knowledge of Carver and his associates as a distraction. 

In the meantime, Nick slipped into the interrogation room where Hank, one of Carver's right hand men that had been hiding out was handcuffed to the table.

"Well well well..if it isn't the most wanted man in the flesh." Hank said with a cold grin. "And where is that hot little wife of yours?"

Nick's jaw clenched. He walked over and slammed his hand on the table next to Hank, leaning in so their faces were only inches apart. "That 'hot little wife' of mine could easily kick your ass, and she's very temperamental right now so you're damn lucky it's me and not her." 

Hank tried to hide it but Nick saw him flinch, obviously remembering when Ellie not only broke his nose but knocked out some of his teeth when he had tried putting his hands on her. Nick smirked at the fear flashing in his eyes. "I thought so..now, here's what's gonna happen-" 

He straightened back up and slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out his knife. Hank stared at it warily as Nick flicked it open, the blade new and sharp. "Hey c'mon man you can't do that! Ain't you an agent, you can't get away with this-"

Nick chuckled. "I haven't been an agent in years Hank, and your boss took my son, you think I care?" He pressed the blade against Hank's arm. "As I was saying..for every time you don't tell me where my son is being held-" He dragged the knife across Hank's skin making him hiss in pain. 

"I don't know where-"

With a mocking 'tsk' noise, Nick sliced the blade across his bicep deeper than the last. "That's bullshit Hank and we both know it."

"I swear man I don't-" Hank breathed in sharply. "C'mon!"

"No you 'c'mon' man." Nick mocked, anger practically dripping from his words. "Where the fuck is my son! I don't have time for your games."

Patience running thin, Nick went behind Hank and gripped his hair tight enough to yank his head back, knife pressed against his throat. "You've seen what I'm capable of-" He whispered in Hank's ear harshly. In the mirror he saw his eyes widened, flashing back to the moment Nick had to prove himself to get deep enough in Carver's cartel resulting in him killing one of the cartel's enemies. A moment that still haunted him. He still didn't know how Ellie loved him after witnessing it. "So what's it gonna be Hank?"

Nick pressed it harder against his skin, beginning to move the knife when Hank shouted in panic. "OKAY OKAY!" He yelled, eyes wide. "He's been keeping the kid in the old abandoned factory-" 

In seconds Nick was slipping his knife back in his pocket and was out the door. He knew exactly where Hank was talking about. Running down the hall, he sent Ellie a text with one word. 

_Go_

In the squad room, Ellie played up being sick once more, Ziva witnessing her before becoming an advantage as they didn't pay careful enough attention to realize Ellie didn't go into the bathroom and made a show of opening the door but instead ducked past it and ran down the nearby hall to the stairs. 

Once in the car with Nick speeding down the road, Ellie sent a delayed text to McGee with the location. He would get it when they were a few minutes away. 

Nick reached over and clutched Ellie's hand tightly in his. She took a breath and squeezed right back. 

* * *

Back at the Navy Yard, things became even more hectic. Only minutes after Nick and Ellie left, they realized what had happened right under their noses. Hank was discovered bleeding in the interrogation room groaning in exaggeration, the camera's had been off before Nick had even stepped anywhere near the room.

"Find where the hell they are! Now!" Gibbs yelled. 

Vance rubbed at his forehead. "I really am too old for this." He mumbled to himself. 

Everyone went quiet as McGee's phone beeped with a text. In seconds they were running to the elevator.

* * *

Nick cursed and ducked behind a metal barrel, the sound of bullets dinging against it the second he went behind it. It had been a long time since he had to dodge bullets- he looked over the barrel and took some shots of his own before ducking again, the sweet sound of a painful shout meeting his ears- it had also been awhile since he used a gun. 

In another part of the factory, Ellie raced down the hall. Nick had used himself as a distraction to give Ellie an opening to look for Mateo. Her gun gripped tightly in her grip, she was ready for it when one of Carver's men came out from one of the few rooms. _Still a perfect shot_ she thought to herself quickly as the man dropped in seconds, and she continued going without another glance. 

* * *

  
Mateo knew they found him. He knew it before hearing the bad man curse angrily. 

But he was nervous and scared. There were a lot more bad men in the room than usual. Mateo heard the bad man talking about a price as they talked about money. 

Mateo saw them take their guns out and sunk against the wall, pressing himself as close to it as possible. They were on the other side of the room, but his heart raced in fear. More fear than he had felt before. Tears slid down his dirty cut and bruised face. He whimpered, curling in on himself, making himself small. 

He just wanted his mommy and daddy. 

* * *

  
Right as the shooting started, Nick slid up beside her. 

They both caught a glimpse of Mateo and their hearts jumped into their throats as they prayed with all they had that he wouldn't get hit. 

* * *

  
Mateo clutched his hands over his ears, his face scrunched up at how loud it was. It only grew louder as more shots came from where he knew his mommy and daddy were. 

It had to be them..it had to be mommy and daddy's old friends.

Hope rose in his chest as some of the fear settled. Just in time for Mateo to notice the set of keys he recognized only a short distance away on the ground, having fell out and slid across the floor or kicked. Scrambling off the mattress, he stretched his leg out, just barely being able to touch the keys with his tippy toes. With a huff, Mateo was able to drag his foot back with the keys under them. 

Once he found the right key, he unlocked himself with shaking hands. 

Clenching his jaw Mateo crawled low on the floor to where a pipe laid on the floor, the same one the bad man had hit him with only hours before causing his stomach to hurt but Mateo ignored it and kept crawling. He had to help his mommy and daddy, and none of the men were paying him attention. He had tricked them into thinking he was weak just like his daddy told him. 

Mateo used his pain, his fear, his anger, and once the pipe was in his hands and one of the men backed up close to him..Mateo swung just like he did during little league practice. 

* * *

  
Ellie and Nick couldn't help but share a laugh of disbelief as Mateo taking a swing at one of the guys legs, was the perfect distraction to give them the upper hand. Gibbs, McGee, Tony, and Ziva who arrived only seconds ago took a shot at the same time, each of them taking down one. 

Once every one of them was down, the parents wasted no time in running to Mateo, dropping to their knees as they carefully squished their son between them.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Mateo's happy shout was muffled in their hold, but he didn't fight it. 

Gibbs and the others watched with smiles as they holstered their guns. These endings to cases were always the highlight. 

Both Ellie and Nick cried as they saw the cuts and bruises, but Ellie still covered Mateo in kisses causing him to giggle. There wasn't much of a point in it seeing as how Mateo saw enough, but when Nick carried Mateo out of the room and factory, he made sure his son's face was hidden in his shoulder. 

That pain and heavyweight in their hearts eased as they sat on the edge of the ambulance with Mateo being checked over quickly before they headed to the hospital for a more thorough look at how hurt he was. 

Nick wrapped his arm around her, pressing a kiss of relief to the side of her head. Ellie sighed and leaned against him. Both of them smiled as Mateo rambled on to the EMT, it also eased the knots in their stomachs to see at least on the surface, this didn't change him. As for mentally when it all hit him..they'd take it one day at a time. 

For now, they would celebrate that they had him back alive and still joyful as ever. 

Her home was complete again with her boys.


End file.
